Of ink and feathers
by MyLadyDay
Summary: Marco is unfortunate enough to break his right arm, but an annoying wait at the hospital brings things he didn't expect in the slightest. All he has to do now is wait for his arm to heal while dealing with an annoying stranger. AU Birthday fic for Nyuu (Junk'peria)
1. Chapter 1

**Happy birthday, Nyuu Nyuu ^.^ Love you very much, sweetie**

**So, first of all thank you Aerle for betaing this and also thank you Yaoiverse of lemon pie for the prompt that started it all ('broken arm') and thank you Gilje for the prompt of Ace flirting with the nurse before Marco interferes.**

Marco was used to having a big family and a lot of younger siblings, no matter that they weren't blood related, and with that he was used to crowded hospital waiting rooms and crying children. He was used to bitchy nurses and waiting for a doctor to look at whatever injury one of his younger siblings managed to get.

What he was not used to, however, was being the injured one. He had always been the one who took care of everyone and yet he found himself sitting in a plastic chair, wedged between an extremely obese pink haired woman munching on what looked like stale cookies, and a very guilty looking Thatch. And he should feel guilty, Marco thought, it was his damn fault for everything. Marco cradled his broken arm as gently as he could. It's not like he's never broken a bone or two in his lifetime, especially in his youth when they'd go out and drink too much to fathom the idiocy of partying on the roof of a two storey house. At least he had an excuse those times as opposed to being dumb enough to fall asleep with Thatch in the room, which he will never do again.

"You want some coffee?" Thatch asked with a low voice. "I'm gonna go to the Starbucks down the street to get some."

Marco huffed, not really that angry at his brother, but still feeling like he deserved the guilt for a while longer.

"Sure, bring me a Hazelnut Frappucchino with caramel, chocolate and cinnamon." He was trying hard not to smirk at the pained expression Thatch wore as he nodded and stood up.

"Oh, and blueberry muffins," Marco added and almost burst out laughing at his brother's walk of shame out of the waiting room.

With Thatch gone, he finally had some space on his right, even though his right arm was the broken one. After all those painkillers, it didn't hurt anymore, but even so it wasn't comfortable to have someone poke at it. Which is exactly what Thatch had been doing, albeit unintentionally.

Nurses were walking through the large room, occasionally calling the name of some lucky bastard that got to see the doctor and end their misery while Marco and everyone else remained there, waiting in perpetual boredom. He closed his eyes, willing himself to stay calm and not bitch at the nearest nurse for the slow pace. After all, they had announced there had been a major accident in town and only the most urgent injuries would be taken care off immediately. The situation was still frustrating; he was wasting his day, what would be the first free day of many, in a hospital with nothing to do other than stare at the ceiling, stare at a random person or trying to will away the sound of munching to his left. Maybe the muffins hadn't been such a great idea.

Someone plopped into the empty seat next to him and startled him enough to open his eyes, instinctively pulling his injured arm out of the offender's way. Marco turned his head to the right and was met with a pair of dark eyes and an abundance of freckles way too close to his face. The sudden intrusion of his personal space made him yelp in surprise; a sound he wasn't very proud of. It took him a moment to realize it was a man, probably younger than himself, with dark brown hair, freckles and a really contagious grin. He finally backed away from Marco's face, still grinning, and spoke.

"Sorry for waking you," the stranger said with an all too innocent demeanor. Marco was still observing his face, though, since it was handsome and still too close for comfort. He collected himself and cleared his throat in embarrassment; it's been ages since someone has made him stare and stutter the way he did.

"It's okay, wasn't sleeping," he mumbled, trying to unscramble his mind. It was an unfortunate time for the side effects of those painkillers to kick in, making him look like a blushing virgin for no apparent reason. Other than the guy violating his personal space, that is.

Probably sensing that he was overstepping several boundaries, the stranger pulled further back and leaned into his chair, thus giving Marco a good view of his entire appearance. Now, it was early spring; not as cold as it was just a few weeks before, but not really warm either, Yet the stranger wore cargo shorts and a hoodie that could hardly be called warm enough. At least he had boots, Marco thought, since it was raining more often than not. The stranger cleared his throat and Marco realized he was staring at his crossed legs. He lifted his head guiltily, hoping he wasn't blushing because, let's face it, he was definitely too old to blush like a schoolgirl, and glanced at the other's face. The brunette was looking at him, a cocky smirk on his lips and an amused look in his eyes, but he said nothing. Marco looked away, slightly embarrassed because of his weird behavior, completely missing how the stranger's eyes roamed over his body from head to toe.

Neither spoke again and Marco drifted into a drug induced haze of weird thoughts, with the occasional lucid question of how the hell he'd work with a broken arm. Obviously, he wouldn't. Messing up someone's body art would not only damage his business, but the customer's body too. Nevertheless, his schedule was full for the upcoming weeks; Robin's was just as full and Usopp wasn't ready to take on big projects by himself yet. He groaned to himself, frustrated how a stupid prank had done so much damage. Thatch should feel really fucking guilty for acting like a kid. With a heavy sigh, Marco concluded that he needed to find a replacement and fast. It was weird luck that this had happened on his day off, but the next day's appointments would probably have to be cancelled.

It's weird how you take your hands for granted when you can actually use them; he discovered this as he tried to retrieve his phone from wherever the hell he put it by only using his left hand. He could see from the corner of his eye how the stranger observed him with obvious amusement. Marco might have been amused as well had it not been for the fact that he couldn't get the damn phone from his jacket pocket. At least he had located it, though. Well, he was too busy with thinking about an actual plan for the upcoming weeks, so the stranger didn't matter much. Finally managing to retrieve his phone, Marco grinned in triumph before the sound of chuckling reached him. He turned to his right with a straight face and looked at the freckled man giggling, his eyes closed. Still, neither of them spoke and Marco turned back to his phone, learning in the process that using a smartphone with his left hand was also not very easy.

Instead of texting, he decided to simply call the salon; Robin and Usopp were both there so he could at least tell someone what had happened. Scrolling through his contact list wasn't that hard and he tapped the name as soon as he found it. The line rang twice before a female voice answered.

_"Phoenix Tattoo, this is Robin speaking," _the voice said. She sounded friendly as ever.

"Hey, it's me," Marco said. "I broke my arm."

_"Right one?" _she asked, even though she knew he wouldn't call if it was the left one; a minor thing like that wouldn't keep him from doing his job.

"Yeah. I'm at the hospital now," he sighed out as there was shuffling heard from the other end; no doubt she was checking his schedule.

_"We need a replacement," _she stated, coming to the same conclusion as Marco.

He nodded, even though she could not see him. "Can you handle that? I'm gonna be out of commission for a while after they finally give me a cast."

_"No problem. I'll also reschedule the appointments tomorrow that neither of us can't take over," _Robin told him and he could hear from her tone that she was smiling comfortingly.

"Okay, thanks. I'll see you in a few days," he said, relief obvious in his voice. "Bye."

She said her goodbye and hung up, without a doubt working on resolving their problem right away. At least he could relax in that regard; he knew very well that his salon, his life's work, was in more than capable hands. Not only was she extremely talented with a tattoo gun, as he could confirm first hand, but she also had a knack for business and the more boring aspects of the profession.

Marco lowered the phone and began twirling it in his hand; he had dealt with the most pressing issues and his mind was free to wander once again. He noted that the stranger still sat next to him, so he turned his attention to the right as much as he could without turning his head completely and outright staring at the man. The brunette didn't appear to be injured or sick nor did he seem impatient like most of the people in the room. In short, he seemed to be completely out of place. He didn't give out an air of misery or annoyance, he simply sat there with an amused smirk, occasionally glancing at his phone. Marco, on the other hand grew bored and continued observing the other; might have seemed like suspicious stalker behavior, but he couldn't be bothered by that notion. After all, it was either observing the strange freckled man or the disgusting woman on his other side and frankly, the man was far more attractive. He didn't have to be gay to think so, either, after she had pulled out a couple of sandwiches from her purse.

The stranger glanced his way occasionally, but his attention shifted far too quickly. Marco was growing more bored by the second and he suspected the painkillers were slowly wearing off. Suddenly, the need to not be bored washed over him and before he could think it through, he spoke.

"You don't look sick or injured."

He could have slapped himself; the painkillers had a weird effect on his common sense and usual smooth approach to people he found interesting.

The brunette turned to him with a laugh.

"That's because I'm not."

"You're not what? Sick or injured?" Marco asked again, staring straight into the stranger's dark eyes. He just laughed again and it was an honest laugh, it made Marco want to laugh along.

"Neither," came the reply.

The answer confused Marco, probably more than it should have, but whatever; he could blame it on the pills.

"So you sit in crowded hospital waiting rooms for fun?" Marco snorted. Obviously, there were better reasons for being there and Freckles probably had one seeing as he laughed out loud as soon as the words left Marco's mouth.

"No, I come here to hit on the nurses," he said as his laughter died out. Marco sat in stunned silence since that was nowhere near the answer he had been expecting. Was he serious? As if to prove a point, the stranger shot out of his chair and intercepted a grumpy looking redhead nurse that had been walking their way. He looked her straight in the eyes and whispered loud enough for Marco to hear.

"I was wondering if you had a moment to spare for me to hit on you?"

His face was completely serious and the poor woman was confused for a moment before her scowl disappeared. She giggled, her blush almost reaching the dark red shade of her hair. Only then did the man smile at her, took her hand between his and, while still holding eye contact, spoke again.

"Lucky you know CPR because you take my breath away," he grinned at the blushing nurse and she continued to giggle.

Marco was shocked; the man had absolutely no idea how to flirt with women, yet it was obviously working on the nurse. Hell, he had to admit it would work on him too. Freckles had a charm and sincerity in his grin that could make anyone crumble, but Marco's focus was on one thing and one thing only. The nurse was busy flirting while his broken arm still needed attention. It was funny to watch the stranger use the most ridiculous pickup lines, some of them too original or funny to fathom, but his arm was still broken. Unfortunately, really, since he could listen to that ridiculous flirting all day. As Freckles continued to spout the cheesiest pickup lines ever, Marco thought about a way to get the nurses attention and maybe make it impossible for the stranger to get a date in the end. With a sly smile, he decided on the most direct approach.

"Honey, stop flirting with every nurse you see and find me a doctor!" Marco raised his voice a bit and frowned sadly when he got the attention he wanted. "I know you wanted a change in bed, but you slamming me into the headboard that hard was what got us here in the first place!" he finished with a small wave of his broken arm.

The two stared at Marco in disbelief; the nurse showed signs of shock while the stranger's face showed a mix of awe and horror. The turn of events was unexpected for all parties involved, to say the least. The nurse shot a disgusted look in the stranger's way and stepped away from him as he couldn't get the confused look from his face. He was, apparently, too stunned to speak. Marco barely stopped himself from laughing at the overall confusion he caused. The nurse couldn't form any words in what seemed like an eternity, her shocked eyes darting between Marco and the freckled man. Finally, her gaze settled on Marco's arm. The silence was awkward and heavy; the stranger moved back to his seat and plopped into it again without muttering a single word. It would seem that Marco had hit a nerve there.

"Sorry, it took me so long, but I got your coffee," Thatch broke the silence, seemingly appearing out of thin air. "What's going on?" he asked once he noticed the horrified nurse and the silent stranger sitting in his spot. Marco chuckled lightly and spoke.

"This lovely nurse was just about to take me to a doctor to look at my probably broken arm before my painkillers wear off."

This seemed to bring the nurse back to the present and she looked at him, clearing her throat.

"Yes, please come with me," she muttered and turned back to the glass doors she came from. Marco was swiftly on his feet and following her, only turning back to tell Thatch to go home and come pick him up later. It wasn't exactly what Thatch had wanted to hear, but he could hardly voice his objections. After all, Marco owned his ass for the time being.

Marco was led to a doctor by the still blushing nurse and seeing her red face made him wonder what was going through the stranger's mind. His reaction certainly wasn't what he had expected; despite the matter of flirting with a girl, Freckles wasn't disgusted at the insinuation of him being gay. Not like most straight men would. It certainly let his imagination run wild as he went through an X-ray and an ungodly amount prodding for something as simple as a broken arm. He could hardly say it was fun, being poked and prodded, having to answer stupid questions and overall lose several hours of his life on crap that could have easily been avoided. After two hours of various doctors and tedious bullshit, he walked back to the waiting room through the glass doors with only a thin cast over his forearm and hand to show for his troubles. There was a flicker of something akin to hope that the freckled stranger would still be sitting in the same plastic chair, but it was extinguished almost immediately. It was too bad he didn't even get to learn the other's name.

Faster than before, he retrieved his phone and dialed Thatch's number. Somehow he had found an empty seat; there were less people than there had been before, but still more than he cared for. Thatch answered after only two rings, sounding slightly on edge. Marco had contemplated walking home for a moment, but the vast amount of painkillers he had been dosed with for the second time made him reconsider. Thatch was compliant, didn't complain about having to drive back to the hospital; Marco found it refreshing that the other didn't bitch about anything and answered in short sentences. The blond couldn't contain his laughter any longer, it was priceless. Thatch only seemed confused at the sudden outburst, but thought it wise not to comment. Marco finished the conversation fast, knowing the other would be at the hospital in ten minutes to pick him up so he remained seated in the waiting room. He didn't have his jacket with him and it was getting dark and colder outside.

In all honesty, Marco wasn't that mad at Thatch; he knew his brother well and he knew it was a silly accident. It would give him a well deserved vacation, if nothing else, something Robin has been bothering him about for months. He had rarely taken a break from the salon in the six years he had owned the place and wasn't very inclined to do so until it was completely necessary. A fractured arm would definitely fall into that category and he was granted with six weeks of not being able to use his right one. That could turn out problematic for his everyday life, to say the least. Some things came to mind; showers, getting dressed… Well this, as it turned out, was a bad time to be single. He could remember how helpless the younger ones were with the casts; true, he was a grown man and his cast only covered the forearm rather than the whole arm so he wouldn't need help to an embarrassing extent. Considering the issues of taking showers and getting dressed covered, he remembered the simple fact that he could not cook properly with his hand partially incapacitated. Thankful that he rarely used his car, Marco could at least cross off driving from his list of things he wouldn't be able to do. He would have to depend on others for that on occasion, but it probably wouldn't differ much from the usual.

Marco was in the middle of trying to comprehend the logistics of showering without getting his right arm wet when his phone rang. He had left it in his lap so it wouldn't be difficult to find. The caller ID showed it was Thatch calling, no doubt he was there already. Marco picked up and started walking to the exit, barely glancing back to the people still waiting.

_"Hey, I'm here, parked across the street," _Thatch told him without waiting for a reply from his brother. _"In front of the fast food place," _he added to be more specific.

"Be there in a minute," Marco said and hung up, not really seeing the point in saying goodbye since he was only moments from the man. Just as Thatch had said, he was parked right in front of the fast food place and the car was still running. He walked around the car and opened the door using his right hand; he did it out of instinct, but it was nice knowing that he could at least still do some mundane things like those. Finally in the front seat, he buckled the seatbelt and felt himself doze off as Thatch started driving. Looking at the situation from a brighter side, Marco knew at least he would get some well deserved sleep. The drive seemed to be over before he could even settle down in his seat, but he didn't complain. Thatch led him through the front doors of the building and into the elevator; Marco felt like a child being dragged around, but couldn't find it in himself to actually care as he was simply waiting to lie down and fall asleep.

With Thatch's help, Marco walked into his apartment and was greeted by Izo. He had known he should have expected something from the two of them, but found himself too tired to ask questions or complain. The pills were outright kicking in and both of his brothers noticed the lack of verbal complaints; all they had gotten were a few grunts and longing glances towards the bedroom door. It was late afternoon, the sun was still out to some extent, but keeping Marco awake wasn't a feat either of them wanted to tackle. Thatch led his younger brother to his bedroom and did his best to ease him onto the bed after Marco's attempt to simply plop down on it, broken arm be damned. He was dead to the world as soon as his head hit the pillow, leaving Thatch with nothing else to do other than remove the blond's shoes and jeans before tucking him in like he used to do when they were younger. Despite the blond being drugged out of his mind, Thatch made sure no light could enter the room through the curtains before silently walking out to the hall and closing the door behind him.

XXXXX

a few hours earlier

It didn't take a genius to notice how accident-prone Luffy was; Ace only wished he wasn't always the one to take the dumbass to the ER. It was tiring, to say the least, and being on a first name basis with most doctors on call wasn't all that exciting. Still, as annoying as it all was, it was also worrisome. It was hard for Ace not to fret about his brother, especially since he was a trouble magnet. Of course, the idiot had to do something as dumb as running with scissors even though he had been told not to do so since he had been a kid. Only adding to his misery was the accident that simply had to happen just then; Ace knew he should be grateful that Luffy didn't somehow have a part in that, too.

He was forced to pace around the crowded waiting room seeing as leaving Luffy there alone wasn't an option. The room was filled with all kinds of people; he had stopped to observe some of them for a bit, trying to ease his boredom and it had paid off. He was looking at a brunette man, obviously a few years older than himself, with the weirdest and at the same time most epic hairdo he had ever seen. The man must have been an angel in disguise or something because he got up from his seat the moment Ace laid his eyes on him. The other was talking to another man in the seat next to his, but all Ace cared about was the empty spot he could vacate as soon as the man with the pompadour left. Just as he had thought it, the man walked away and left through the exit, leaving that little piece of heaven empty. He wasted no time in walking over and dropping his tired ass into the uncomfortable plastic chair that felt strangely heavenly. It was only then that he turned to Elvis' companion and observed him; this one was younger, but probably still older than Ace. He was blond and had a haircut that looked strange as disheveled as it was, but not nearly as strange as the brunette's pompadour. The blond in front of him was dozing off moments ago, leaving Ace shamelessly staring at his handsome face with an elongated nose, wide mouth with thin lips and a slight blond stubble on his jaw.

Ace was staring at the lower half of the man's face, only looking into his eyes when the stranger turned towards him; they were the bluest eyes he had ever seen. He instinctively grinned and back away from the blond's personal space that he unconsciously invaded. The apology for waking the stranger was genuine, even when the other claimed he hadn't been sleeping. His demeanor was that of a stunned man and Ace could attribute his confusion to some kind of drugs he had ingested; the way he cradled his arm could only mean it was hurt, but since the blond wasn't screaming in pain he must have had some painkillers. Well, Ace concluded he should at least be grateful that Luffy's tendency to get hurt brought him an abundance of knowledge in medicine. Still, seeing a grown man actually blush a little was something he rarely had the chance to witness. Ace was clearly making the man somewhat uncomfortable, thus deciding to lean back into his chair and shifting his left leg so the ankle rested on his right knee.

Blue eyes were still directed at him and as soon as he leaned back, they travelled down, over his body and settled on his general crotch area. Possibly on his legs, though, he admitted after the first thought of the stranger checking him out crossed his mind. Still, it was entertaining how the other didn't seem to be bothered by observing someone so thoroughly without trying to hide it. Just for the fun of it, Ace cleared his throat and smirked when the other looked at him again. The blush might have deepened the tiniest bit as the stranger looked away, giving Ace the perfect opportunity to return the favor and check the other out thoroughly. He may have done so for longer than strictly necessary, but the blond wasn't looking at him so he could ogle as much as he liked.

A couple of minutes or a couple of hours could have passed, but Ace wouldn't know as he was busy observing that blond tuff of hair. It looked soft for some reason and Ace could barely restrain himself from reaching out and touching it when the blond stranger stirred. He started shuffling through his pockets and jacket as well as he could with only one arm which looked absolutely hilarious, but he tried hard not to laugh. It was only when the stranger pulled out his phone then grinned at it with a sense of pride did Ace's resolve crack and he chuckled. The blond look at him with a face that could be interpreted as intimidating, but no words were spoken and the stranger turned his attention back to the phone. He dialed a number and pressed the phone to his ear; Ace was almost burning in anticipation of finding out something about the man next to him or at least hear him speak properly.

Boy, was it worth the wait; the stranger's voice, deep and steady, rumbled next to him and Ace could hardly focus on what was being said. The realization that he seemed to be pining for a complete stranger who probably didn't even share his sexual preferences hadn't hit him yet, but it hardly mattered anyway. The extent of his luck was all too familiar to him and the chances of even seeing the blond again were slim to none. Lost in thought, Ace barely noticed the stranger stopped talking, but having that voice directed at him snapped him out of it.

Ace hadn't given his answers any thought and he would most likely regret saying something as stupid as he did, but he couldn't explain why in the hell he would get up and actually hit on a nurse. Still, he could hardly stop once he had started and it was actually possible he would at least get lucky with the nurse, if he could judge from the way she blushed and giggled. Maybe the day wasn't as wasted as it had seemed.

"Honey, stop flirting with every nurse you see and find me a doctor!" the stranger raised his voice and Ace froze at hearing the way he was being addresses. "I know you wanted a change in bed, but you slamming me into the headboard that hard was what got us here in the first place!" the stranger finished and waved his hurt arm a bit, just to make his point, but Ace was caught staring. The blond's lips were set in the cockiest smirk Ace had ever seen, but the expression was so damn alluring that Ace couldn't simply look away. The blond fucker was messing with him! Not to mention ruining his chances with the nurse who he, honestly, forgot about as soon as the stranger called him honey. His voice rose just the tiniest bit and his lips pursed as he frowned at the apparent injustice of Ace's actions, but his eyes told another story. His eyes held a glint of amusement, a god damn pride for the reaction he got and Ace couldn't blame him. No answer came to mind, how could it anyway, when all Ace could focus was the image of him thrusting into the stranger hard enough to break the headboard. Utterly speechless, Ace went back to his chair and sat down; he could only watch as the still blushing nurse lead the blond away.

Well, he had to give it to the stranger, no one has managed to make him speechless like that in ages. More importantly, and Ace actually froze at the impact of the realization, straight men did not make such obvious innuendoes about screwing, much less about being screwed by other men. That just brought on more mixed emotions about the discovery; the stranger was at least bi and he would also probably never see the stranger again. Ace was also dumb enough not to ask for a name.

"Hey, you okay?"

Ace turned to his left, into the direction of the stranger's chair and was met with a concerned face. The brunette pompadour was easily recognizable and he immediately knew it was the stranger's friend. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Ace replied and ran a hand through his hair. The pompadour guy grinned at him before getting up from his chair. "I don't know what happened before I got here, but you looked pretty pale there," the man said. "Hope you get better," he added and left with a small wave goodbye. Ace was reduced to such a stuttering mess, he had yet to realize he had missed yet another chance to find out the blond's name.

Ace barely stopped himself from face palming once he figured out how big of an idiot he was. He reconciled with having to live with that fact and leaned back in his chair.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**Beta'd by the very lovely Aerle. 'Cause honestly, who else would do it? XD **

His surroundings were dark and silent; he knew even without opening his eyes. Marco could feel the remnants of all the painkillers he was dosed with… yesterday? Finally opening his eyes to check what time it was, he was met with complete darkness as he expected. He reached out to the nightstand with his right arm, almost forgetting that it was broken and painful. Luckily, he was reminded of the fact as his hand slammed onto the wooden surface. A curse left his mouth at the jolt of pain going through his arm, managing only to grit his teeth until the pain subsided. He rolled over onto his back, careful with his arm this time and reached for his phone again, this time with the healthy hand.

Before he could even check how long he had been sleeping, a sound from somewhere in the apartment reached his ears. Usually, he would probably investigate right away, but he could hardly keep his eyes open. Sleep was sounding like a really good idea to him, his eyes were slowly closing as he sunk into the comfy mattress, the sheets were feeling really soft… When had he taken off his pants? Well, it didn't matter. Sleep was just around the corner… Another loud clatter, from the kitchen probably, startled him and even sleepy as he was, Marco knew he should get up. He groaned before mustering all his strength and sitting up in the dark.

It was his room, he was sure about it even without seeing anything; thus the noise from the kitchen meant he had at least one brother roaming his apartment and that was cause enough for getting up. His bare feet touched the floor as he propped himself with his healthy arm, thinking about what inconvenience was waiting for him next.

Stumbling through the dark room, Marco managed to get to the door without bumping into anything on the way. It was hardly a long walk, but he still couldn't help but feel accomplished that he managed it in the dark while still as groggy as he was from the drugs. The light hit him head on as soon as he opened the bedroom door and he had to squint, his eyes tearing up. It just wasn't feeling like a good day it him. Still, his eyes adjusted and he walked down the hall, following the sounds of a ruckus from his kitchen. He was just around the corner when the smell of food joined the equation and Marco realized how hungry he actually was.

Never before had he been as happy to see a humming Izo dancing around his kitchen.

"I asked you not to do that in my kitchen," Marco said with a tired voice, but his lips still curved upward just the tiniest bit.

Izo jumped at the sound, the spatula he had been holding falling to the floor in the process. He scowled at the almost snickering blond, but made no move towards him. Marco took his spot at the kitchen island, gently placing the cast on it.

"I thought you'd wake up way sooner," Izo said while scooping up some bacon and eggs onto a clean plate. "Thatch just left an hour ago," he added before walking over to his blond brother and placing the food in front of him. Marco was already eating by the time Izo brought a glass of orange juice and two small pills.

"How long did I sleep?" he asked between bites. Izo might have had weird habits that tended to mostly come to light of day in Marco's kitchen, but the man could cook.

"Fourteen hours. I was bored already," the raven haired man replied, his voice laced with a dramatic overtone. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down next to Marco.

"Fine, I guess. Still a bit dazed from the pills."

"Does your arm hurt? 'Cause you're suppose to take those two pills today after you eat, remember," Izo said, directing the sternest scowl he could muster in Marco's direction.

"I know, _mom_," Marco said with a roll of his eyes and earned himself a deeper scowl from his brother. "I should call Robin before I pass out again, though."

Izo's face immediately softened and he jumped up from his chair.

"She called and left you a message! I almost forgot," he spoke as he picked up the empty plate and lowered a piece of paper in its spot. "She said she would be busy with both your appointments so she wouldn't call again," Izo added and went to the sink with the dirty plate.

The paper belonged to the pad he kept by the phone for years already and had used it probably twice in all that time, but the handwriting was far more extravagant and completely Izo. The message simply read that Robin found a replacement; he would start work the next day. Marco was far from surprised, after all Robin was known for being extremely capable at everything he threw at her, but this was still impressive. The note also stated the replacements name, but he simply skimmed through the information knowing he'd see Robin before work the next day and get all the information he needed.

Izo was just done with the few dirty dishes and he turned to Marco.

"If you're done, take your pills and go back to bed," he said and the blond couldn't find it in himself to deny his brother's command. He threw the pills into his mouth without so much as looking at them and downed the juice in one go before getting up.

"You saying here?" he asked.

"I'll stay here until Thatch comes back from work. He'll stay until tomorrow and you can work something out with him," the raven haired man said and wished him a good night as Marco walked down the hall to his bedroom. He found himself in complete darkness once again; he wasn't sleepy yet so he opted for lifting the blinds and reading something until he was tired again.

Marco already knew he'd be sick of the cast in no time.

XXX

For the first time in years, Marco felt completely rested; he had slept through two nights in a row, no matter that it was probably thanks to the pills, it was still an achievement he hadn't accomplished in too long. The sun had yet to rise, but he was wide awake lying in bed, simply contemplating how on earth he would take a shower. He was in the middle of trying to remember how Haruta washed himself with a sprained wrist when his alarm went off. Even after sleeping through his day off, Marco was already bored out of his mind, not to mention how interested he was in the replacement that Robin found. After all, that person would do his work for six weeks; it could have an impact on his reputation as well as the reputation of his salon.

As much as he wanted to stay in bed for a change, Marco knew he couldn't and managed to sit up in bed, his feet hitting the floor in a matter of seconds. He walked to the thermostat and turned on the heat before going to the kitchen. While making coffee, he was hit by a wave of sheer brilliance; he rummaged through the drawers until he found a plastic bag big enough to cover his cast.

"What the hell are you doing at this time of night?!" an agitated voice sounded from behind him and he turned around. A sleepy Thatch with his hair down wearing nothing but red boxers was a sight Marco wouldn't wish upon even his greatest enemy. If he had one, anyway.

"It's morning and I'm trying to get ready for work," Marco replied as he went back to thinking of how the hell he would put that bag on his arm and keep it there.

"You look like a serial killer trying to protect his clothes from blood splatter. What the hell are you doing with that bag?" the brunet asked, grumpy and half asleep.

"I'm trying to put it over my cast so it doesn't get wet in the shower," Marco replied, starting to get annoyed a bit himself. He was startled as Thatch yanked the bag from his hands and slid it over the cast, fastening it around the blond's elbow.

"There, go shower and let me sleep," he grumbled before slinking off to the living room; Marco could hear him plop on the couch and sigh in relief. He chuckled for a moment before making his way to the bathroom, the rustling of the bag on his arm sounding through the apartment. In theory, his idea was flawless. He would shower with his arm covered and everything would be great. Piece of cake. In practice, it was a bit different than he hoped for.

Marco stood under the spray of the shower, completely wet except for his right arm, which was lucky. He did not, however, think about how he would wash his hair or anything else with one hand wrapped in plastic. It might have been the first time he was grateful for not having a full head of hair. Things weren't going according to his plan as he learned just how useless his left hand was; after squirting too much shampoo on his head, he would probably be surrounded by the smell of coconut wherever he went.

After what was most likely the longest shower he had ever taken, Marco managed to walk out of the bathroom with clean hair and a dry cast. Getting dressed didn't even cross his mind until he stood horrified in front of his closet. Anything with buttons wasn't an option so he turned to the shelf that held cotton shirts he rarely wore to work. Well, he wouldn't be working anyway. With that depressing thought in mind, Marco started on the task of pulling on a long sleeved shirt over the cast. It was hardly a fun experience and having to repeat it daily for six weeks would be the death of him or his sanity, at any rate. Buttoning his pants wasn't easy either, but he managed eventually. What could he have done, anyway? Asked for Thatch's help? That would be a big hit to his pride and he did have limits.

Happy that he woke up earlier than needed, he still had time for coffee before he would have to get Thatch awake and into a car to drive him to work. He returned to the kitchen quietly, opting for preparing the coffee for the brunet before waking him; after all, he was in no way a morning person. Feeling the urge for revenge, Marco left both cups of coffee in the kitchen and sneaked into the living room. He tip toed past the couch and went straight for his desk where he knew he'd find what he needed. As silently as possible, the blond opened the top drawer and grinned in triumph. On top of a stack of papers was the black plastic spider he confiscated from Usopp a while back after the long nosed apprentice left it on Marco's tattoo chair to scare a friend that happened to have an appointment. Scaring customers wasn't good for business so the blond took the toy and punished Usopp with front desk and cleaning duty for a month with a ban on using the tattoo gun. The younger learned his lesson and Marco got to keep the spider that he would finally put to good use.

Retrieving the toy from the drawer, he returned to the back of the couch and contained his laughter. Gently, he placed the plastic on Thatch's arm and allowed himself an excited chuckle before proceeding. He tapped his brother's forehead and watched as the other grumbled, his eyes opening slowly.

"You have a spider on your arm," he said with a feigned distressed voice.

The effect was immediate; Thatch's eyes opened wide as he screamed like a little girl, his arm twitching and throwing the spider into the mess of blankets covering him. Marco held back as he watched the other flail on the couch trying to throw the blanket off and falling off the couch as a result. The brunet crawled as far away from the couch as possible with eyes still wide in horror and breathing heavy. He looked towards Marco and scowled as he noticed the look on the blond's face.

He was barely keeping himself from laughing as his brother still sat on the floor, a complete grasp on the situation lost on him.

"Get dressed. There's coffee in the kitchen and then you gotta take me to work," Marco said and finally broke down, his laughter ringing through the apartment. Thatch's scowl deepened as the blond retreated from the room, disappearing in the kitchen.

Thatch was still grumpy as they climbed into the car. The brunet hadn't uttered a word since he got off the floor of Marco's living room. They drove in silence until a well known blue sign appeared before them and Thatch started laughing.

"I can't believe you scared me like that," he said trying to catch his breath. "We're even now, though," he added as he glanced into the blond's direction. Marco joined in on the laughter, nodding in agreement. He wasn't _that_ mad at his brother for the broken arm, after all. They stopped just outside the salon and Marco said goodbye to his brother as he got out of the car, feeling content to be at work. Unlocking the front door, he figured he had around five to ten minutes before Robin appeared as she always did. Hence, he didn't expect her to appear from their shared office to greet him.

"Morning," she said with a smile. "I was just making tea."

"Morning. You're here early," he said as they walked to the office together.

"Well, I am in charge now that you're… incapacitated," Robin replied and offered a sympathetic smile.

"So, tell me about my replacement," he changed the subject, hoping he wouldn't have to talk about his arm that much.

"Very well," she said and walked to her desk to take a few papers before offering him to Marco. "He's co-owner of St. Elmo's Fire with his brother and his name is Ace."

Marco cut her off before she could continue. "St. Elmo's Fire? Didn't that place close or something?"

"Ironically," she started, but interrupted herself with a morbid chuckle Marco knew too well, "It burned down."

Marco stared at her with disbelief; that place had a pretty good reputation considering it hadn't been in business for very long and the two artists working there were supposedly pretty talented.

"The place is being rebuilt so working here for six weeks is perfect for him," Robin interrupted his thoughts. "I think he was the best candidate."

He nodded, completely trusting her judgment. All he had to do was meet the man, really, he thought as he went through his filled out application and a few examples of his work. It was really good, actually, and Marco was relieved that they managed to get someone talented on such short notice. The part about the replacements salon burning down, however, wasn't in the realm of good news. Marco was hardly superstitious, but it would be immensely unlucky if something like that were happen to his pride and joy as well.

Robin served them both a cup of tea like she did every morning of four years already; it was a tradition they started as soon as she became his partner. They had fifteen minutes in the shop before Usopp and, hopefully, the replacement showed up to finally open for the day. Marco sighed, knowing he would spend six weeks dealing only with paperwork, supply orders and taking appointments. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"Well, I'll leave you now." Robin stood from her chair. "I should start cleaning up, Usopp's going to be here in a few minutes." With that she left the office. Usopp peeked in only minutes later, wishing him a good morning before joining Robin. With nothing else to do, Marco started filling out some supply orders with an intention of doing inventory later as well. Boring inventory. He let his head fall to the desk with a thud. He was already bored and annoyed by his cast, but mostly by his inability to do the things he usually took for granted.

He was wallowing in self-pity when he heard Usopp speak.

"Oh hey, you're here," he said excitedly. "Robin and I cleaned up already, so you can go ahead and meet Marco before I give you your appointment schedule."

"Sure. Where do I go?" another voice asked and Marco sighed, knowing Usopp was most likely showing the new guy where to go so he would have to sit in a more dignified position. "Thanks," the voice replied and the blond finally lifted his head, waiting for the newcomer. He refrained from staring at the door, deciding to turn on his laptop instead.

There was a light knock on the door. "Hi, I'm Ace…" the voice trailed off and Marco finally lifted his head. He was being stared at by a pair of familiar dark eyes and a face full of freckles. No words came to mind as the stranger he met only two days ago stood in front of him, equally stunned. Marco never actually believed in coincidences, but the current situation was simply unbelievable. The chances of the freckled stranger being a tattoo artist should have been highly unlikely, but the chances of him applying as Marco's substitute should have been downright impossible.

Realizing he was staring for what could have theoretically been a minute too long, Marco cleared his throat, hoping really hard that he wasn't blushing or something like that. Robin would never let him live that down. He stood up and considered offering his hand to properly introduce himself before he realized he wouldn't be able to shake hands, thus adding another thing he took for granted before.

"I'm Marco," he said and as he watched the freckled man smile, he remembered the incident from the hospital. The memory brought a grin to his face, the embarrassing surprise replaced by the same urge to mess with the younger man coming over him. "I'll be your boss," he added and observed carefully as the truth of the fact dawned on his new employee. Marco could already see how the blushing freckled man might improve what could have been six weeks from hell.

XXX

As per usual, Ace woke up to a mouth full of fur and crappy music playing somewhere in the apartment. Most likely the kitchen as he heard his brother yell.

"Ace, get your ass out of bed! You have work today!"

He sighed, inhaling some more fur before he sat up in the bed, glancing at the dog sleeping on his pillow. The corgi stirred and opened his eyes, looking completely innocent and remorseless; after all, the pillow was more his than Ace's considering he sneaked onto it every night and pushed Ace's head off. The man glared at his supposed best friend, but still stroked his belly affectionately. He got up and put some pants on, following their usual morning routine of taking Garpie out for a walk while Sabo made breakfast.

The dog was ready to go as soon as he saw his red leash came into view. Ace couldn't help but smile as they left the building together for a walk around the block.

A plate of French toast was waiting for him on the table when they got back, a cup of coffee resting close by as Sabo sat in his spot, reading the newspaper like an old man. Honestly, all he needed was a monocle and a top hat to complete the look. Ace sat down and wolfed down his breakfast while the blond observed him with annoyance.

"I hope you're not gonna act like that at work," the blond said, passing a piece of his toast to the dog.

"Don't feed him that! He'll get sick," Ace objected, completely ignoring the other's comment. He already knew how to behave in front of people, he wasn't like Luffy.

"The Admiral doesn't get sick, Ace," Sabo replied with seriousness, but only managed to hold it for a few moments before laughing. They were both aware that naming a dog, a corgi to boot, after their grandfather wasn't the best idea they ever had. Though, to be fair, it wasn't the worst either.

"Anyway," Sabo started. "Try not to get fired right away. We need the money."

"I'm not gonna get fired on the first day," Ace rolled his eyes. He knew they needed the money to pay for the work on their own place, but he was more thrilled about the fact he would work for probably the most famous artist in the city. The owner of the Phoenix and his partner had a reputation for the highest quality work, but also for rarely taking on an apprentice or new employees. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for him and he suspected Sabo was simply jealous; after all, the blond had to work as a bartender for the time being.

"They chose me for the job, I'm not gonna blow it," he said. "What about him while we're both out, though?" he asked, pointing at Garpie. The dog was sitting on the floor, looking at him like he hadn't slept on his face yet again.

"I'm not going to work before six, you should be back by then," Sabo replied with a shake of his head. "I'm taking him to the park, though, so I'll walk to work with you. We should get going in ten minutes, you know," he added like the know-it-all he in fact was, making Ace turn to the clock and almost shriek. He had promised he'd come by earlier to meet the boss and help clean up, set up everything and all that. It wouldn't be an easy task, but he would manage a quick shower in the time he had.

"I'm gonna take a shower," he said as he ran out of the room, tripping on the "damn dog" in the process.

Sabo actually looked impressed; Ace stood before him, showered and dressed with a minute to spare. He also went to the trouble of dressing decently for once, going for a pair of black jeans and a red sweater he usually absolutely refused to wear. The blond didn't comment, however, knowing it would prompt the other to scowl and change into one of his usual less than professional shirts.

Ace was hardly a morning person, but he was actually excited for once as the three of them walked through town. The walk wasn't long, but he was feeling too jittery to walk normally. Even the dog looked at him funny, not to mention the other people on the street avoided them with strange looks on their faces. None of that registered with the freckled man, however.

They reached their destination sooner than he had expected and Ace barely contained a girlish squeal that was building in his chest. These people were professionals, he reminded himself, and it wouldn't do him no good to embarrass himself on the first day.

"Try not to burn the place down," Sabo told him, knowing without a doubt how excited Ace must be. Ace didn't say anything, only scratched Garp's chin before glaring at Sabo and entering the salon.

He had been there only the day before, meeting Robin and Usopp, the only people that worked in the place save for the owner. They were different from what he had expected, but he was pleasantly surprised; they were really nice. He was sure he'd get attached to the place in the short time he'd spent there.

"Oh hey, you're here," Usopp greeted him excitedly. "Robin and I cleaned up already, so you can go ahead and meet Marco before I give you your appointment schedule," the apprentice told him, looking like he'd rather talk than mop up the floor.

"Sure. Where do I go?" Ace asked despite knowing the place held one office and two separate tattooing rooms which probably meant he should go to the office. As he had been expecting, the other pointed to the office with the open door and smiled at him.

"Thanks," Ace said and walked to the door, suddenly feeling like he was being sent to the principal's office. He knocked on the open door lightly, just to alert the person inside, and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Ace…" he started but froze when his eyes fell on a blond tuff of hair and a face he was trying to forget for two days. His stranger from the hospital looked at him from behind his desk and seemed to freeze as well. Ace was well aware that they were openly staring at each other in obvious shock, but he couldn't make himself speak after having the blond's words from the other day play through his head.

The blond clearing his throat startled Ace from his thoughts. The other stood and looked like he was about to shake his hand, but didn't in the end; Ace noticed the cast, noting the reason for hiring him.

"I'm Marco," the blond said and Ace couldn't help but smile. He had finally learned the stranger's name, something he deemed impossible only hours ago. Ace watched as the blond's face turned from one of confusion into a wide grin and he felt excitement rush through him stronger than it had before.

"I'll be your boss," the blond added and Ace realized, a bit belatedly, that it was in fact true. He could feel his cheeks heat up as he probably blushed, a mix of indecent images and thoughts of how bad that was invading his mind.

His employment would either be a really good experience or a really frustrating one; either way, it was very different from what he had hoped for when he woke up earlier that morning.

TBC

**Not the most exciting chapter, I know :D I won't update this too regularly since I have finals coming up, but it is very fun to write ^^**


End file.
